Making an Impact

Founded more than a century and a half ago – according to some estimates – career education began with a focus on student outcomes. The programs and the related professions have changed over the years, as have the technology and the way students are instructed. Gone are the days of typewriting schools, to cite just one example. But what has not shifted in all those years is the focus on student outcomes and the importance of student success in sustaining a viable and evolving sector of higher education.

Now, with more attention being paid to it than ever before, career colleges are continuing on its central mission: to change students’ lives. Not much more than a decade ago, the sector was making advancements quietly. Those steps forward came by the way of online education and program flexibility that students needed to make the pursuit of education feasible. And nothing has changed in that regard despite all the new attention being paid to career education in general.

Career college students have continued to graduate and find personal success, and its leaders have continued to innovate. At a time of great challenge, we’ve seen the leaders on the following pages make critical contributions to career education in the areas of education models and delivery, student financial planning, business management, marketing and advertising, law and politics, and more. Each of them shares a common motivation: the success of today’s career college students. These leaders are the group that has remained at the forefront of innovation, offering continued advancements and keeping students as the unchanging core of all it does.

Anthony J. Guida Jr.
Senior Vice President
External Affairs Education Management Corporation

Given the extraordinary regulatory and political challenges facing career education, what improvements/innovations does the sector need to implement to remain a leader in higher education?

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Bill Clary
President and CEO
Elite Consultants Inc

Given the extraordinary regulatory and political challenges facing career education, what improvements/innovations does the sector need to implement to remain a leader in higher education?

I have been part of the career college industry for the past 30 years and feel proud of what our sector represents to so many people: hope for a successful future. I see the regulatory and political challenges as an opportunity to silence those who question our integrity. I see us meeting the challenge head on. Our focus should be placed on better preparing admissions managers and staff to paint a realistic picture of their school while making the approach ethical and compliant.

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Cathy Raymond
Nurse Administrator
Mid-Atlantic Endoscopy

Mid-Atlantic Endoscopy feels it is important to support the mission of Dawn Institute because these students are on the brink of a new career, and they need to be provided with an opportunity to develop and grow their new skills. Students are paired with an employee who has knowledge and assists them as well as give them confidence to take on new skills. At our center, we primarily perform colonoscopies and EGDs. Students learn, in depth, about screening for colon cancer and how important it is to encourage people to have a colonoscopy in order to save lives.

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Cheryl Zapata
President and CEO
Dawn Career Institute

Given the extraordinary regulatory and political challenges facing career education, what improvements/innovations does the sector need to implement to remain a leader in higher education?

In the context of regulatory and political challenges, we as a sector – now more than ever in history – need to constantly improve our communications with policymakers. It is evident in my visits with our congressional members and their staff that they are truly interested in serving. However, they need a better understanding of the real impact private sector schools, colleges and universities have on our communities. We have an extraordinarily effective business model and a great story. We just need to have a stronger, louder voice.

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Denise Daly
Former Human Resources Director
Senior Helpers

What value do students who've graduated from Dawn Career Institute bring to your company/organization?

The students from Dawn Career Institute are taught and trained in the skills they will need to enter the business world.  I have sat in on and spoken to classes in regards to how to handle themselves in the business world and what employers are looking for in a candidate. You know when you hire someone from Dawn that all of that has already been reviewed and that they are prepared and ready to start working in their field of study. In the certified nursing assistant (CNA) field, they are already prescreened and background checks are completed.

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Denny Spisak
Senior Consultant
Pearson Learning Solutions

Given the extraordinary regulatory and political challenges facing career education, what improvements/innovations does the sector need to implement to remain a leader in higher education?

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Dr. Arthur Keiser
Chancellor and CEO
Keiser University

Given the extraordinary regulatory and political challenges facing career education, what improvements/innovations does the sector need to implement to remain a leader in higher education?

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Dr. Joe Pace
Managing Partner of the Education Initiative
The Pacific Institute

Please explain the innovations you’ve brought to (or observed in) career education. What led you to recognize the need for these innovations? What has been their impact on students and higher education?

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Dr. Peter Savo
Vice President of College and University Outreach
Essential Knowledge

Given the extraordinary regulatory and political challenges facing career education, what improvements/innovations does the sector need to implement to remain a leader in higher education?

Without a focus on career and higher education improvements and innovation, the entire industry becomes stagnant. Just as stagnation in pond water can’t sustain life; stagnation in higher education can’t sustain intellectual growth. Using advancements in technology such as online education systems acts as a countermeasure against this stagnation. Accredited online courses, degree programs and training certificates have become the bridge joining innovations and education improvements.

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Dr. Scott Fitzgibbon
Founder
Fitzgibbon and Associates Inc.

Given the extraordinary regulatory and political challenges facing career education, what improvements/innovations does the sector need to implement to remain a leader in higher education?

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